Vending machines: why do they only contain junk food?

Few controls, and widespread distribution. But the ingredient list is a binge of sugar, salt, and fat. We have one vending machine for every 70-75 residents.

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Vending machines filled with packaged snacks and sugary drinks

Vending machines are now the most important sales channel for ultra-processed and calorie-dense foods (packaged snacks, sugary drinks, candy, chips). In practice, thanks to the machines everywhere, and with far fewer controls than at any other point of sale (from supermarkets to retail stores), we're stuffed with junk food.

Hand chooses a packaged snack from a vending machine

The advantages for sellers, which have made vending machines so widely used, are these:

  • Continuous availability (24 hours a day).
  • Impulse purchases by customers.
  • Presence in schools, offices, hospitals and stations.
  • Limited space, which favors long-life packaged products.

In Italy there are approximately 830.000-835.000 vending machines active on the national territory, where they are purchased, approximately 4-5 billion consumptions per year, considering coffee, drinks and snacks. The sector generates over 2 billion euros in annual turnover also considering the coffee service in capsules and pods for offices. These data mean that in Italy there is approximately one vending machine for every 70-75 inhabitants, a very high density compared to other European countries.

The advantages for sellers are clear. And for consumers? Behind a quick and convenient purchase lie many pitfalls, especially because purchasing through a vending machine prevents consumers from first reading the label and evaluating the product's ingredients. The result: the nutritional profiles of foods sold through vending machines are loaded with sugar, salt and fat.

Let's look at a couple of concrete examples. The first concerns bread. The kind sold in bakeries (or in the dedicated sections of supermarkets) looks like this:

  • Often made with simple ingredients: flour, water, yeast, salt
  • Added fat: usually low or zero (except focaccia, brioche, oil bread)
  • More variable and often artisanal.

That of vending machines, however:

  • It usually is industrial packaged bread
  • To ensure durability and softness it may contain:
  • added vegetable oils or fats (e.g. sunflower oil)
  • sugars in small quantities
  • emulsifiers or preservatives (not always, but frequently).

Second example: vending machine snacks. A snack sold in a vending machine usually has a very "standardized" appearance, designed to be storable, resistant and consumable immediatelyThis is possible thanks to the following ingredients:

  • Sugars (chocolate, syrups, refined cereals)
  • Vegetable fats or oils
  • Refined flours or starches
  • Flavorings and additives for preservation and flavor.

Thanks to these ingredients, which are certainly not healthy, the product lasts longer, does not deteriorate and has a pleasant flavour, which increases the addiction to ultra-processed foods.

Packaged snacks next to fruit, yogurt, nuts, and water

In recent years, however, some vending machines have begun offering healthier alternatives: water, dried fruit, yogurt, bars with simple ingredients, fresh fruit, and even refrigerated meals. At this point, it would be sufficient to establish that the vending machines contain, for example:

  • a minimum quota of healthy products (fruit, yogurt, dried fruit, wholemeal rolls)
  • limits on sugars, salt and saturated fats for products sold
  • Mandatory “healthy” alternatives in schools, hospitals and public offices
  • clear traffic light-style nutritional labelling.

It's not a complicated thing, if you want to do it!

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